by Russ Watts
“Janet Goldbitter,” said Gabe noticing how Rose kept looking at the dead woman by the upturned golf-cart. “Or Golddigger as we used to call her,” Gabe said chuckling. “We left her there to bake. She was a member, one of the old women who used to play here. Got membership because her current husband was on the board. What was he, her fifth? No, sixth. Anyway, royal pain in the ass she was. Rude as hell, just plain obnoxious. She was always shouting at the staff, demanding this and that. She threw money around just because she could. Liked to rub our noses in it.”
“What happened?” asked Rose. The body was largely intact. The woman’s head was crushed though, and had been picked at by rats, leaving little of the old woman’s face.
“When it all kicked off, I was here alone. We were gearing up for the tournament when things changed. It was pretty clear to me that the authorities couldn’t keep law and order, so I told Mara to pack a bag and get over here quick. Unfortunately, Mr Goldbitter had the same idea, and he brought her with him. It was just us four to start with. Turns out Mr Goldbitter had been bitten as he was making his way out to his car though; decided to keep it quiet, stupid old fart. Anyway, day two, we got up and found him wandering around the corridors, dead as a deer. I managed to put him down quick. I don’t like to sound my own trumpet, but I’m a good shot, I know that. I could take the hair off a rat’s ball-sack from fifty yards.”
“So you had to take out her too? She was bit?” Javier wondered how Gabe could sound so cheery. The man seemed to retain a smile on his face even when recounting a horrific story.
“Yeah, she was bit. Her husband managed to take a chunk out of the sour old bitch before she got away. She thought she was immune to it though, thought anything could be solved with money. Practically threw a suitcase of the stuff at me if I’d promise to help her. She told me to go fetch a doctor while she played a round of golf. Can you believe it? I told her there was no way I was going out there looking for a doctor, and Mara told her the same, but she wouldn’t listen. She refused to do anything about her bite. Thought she could see the infection through, and went out to play some golf. I’ve been in charge of this place for ten years, never had a day’s trouble with any of the members, not really, and I wasn’t about to let her ruin it all. So I followed her, took out a ten iron, and smashed her head in. Let the gold digger cook, she got what she deserved. I ain’t got no regrets. I did what I did to keep this place safe. That’s the way it’ll stay too. You play ball with me, and you’ll find I’m all…”
“Sweetness, and light, right?” said Javier.
“You got it, pal,” said Gabe. “Look, the clubhouse is just over there. I’ll take you in the front door. Mara’s expecting me, and it’s best to stick to the routine around here. Don’t want to surprise Mara and get our butts blown off.”
As they followed Gabe, Javier looked at Rose, his eyes asking her if she was okay. She gave him a half-hearted smile in return, but said nothing. Her eyes were vacant, and her hands cold. He leant over and kissed her cheek, suddenly feeling not just love for her, but pride too. She had really kicked ass out there, and had jumped into the fight for him to protect both of them from the zombies. Gabe seemed to be on the level too, and the clubhouse looked warm and secure. The day hadn’t gone how he’d planned, but Javier was pleased just to be alive.
As they approached the clubhouse, Javier noticed it was on two levels, and looked like an old country mansion, complete with a white picket fence out front, a wooden veranda, and a swing-chair on the front lawn where a woman sat lazily sipping on a glass of water. As they neared, the woman got up and waved at Gabe, who returned the wave. As she saw Javier and Rose, the woman’s smile turned into a frown, and confusion spread across her face. Javier saw a gun tucked into her apron, and the woman reached for it, bringing it out just enough for them to see it. Her intentions were clear: mess with me, and you’ll regret it.
“Mara, you put that away,” said Gabe. “There’s no need for that. These two folks have had a difficult day, and we’re going to show them some good old southern hospitality.”
“That’s what I thought I was doing,” said Mara, giving Gabe a peck on the cheek as he embraced her. “No trouble out there? I thought I heard gunfire. I take it this is what you were shooting for?”
“Mara, this is Javier and…” Gabe hesitated and his cheeks turned red. “Sorry, darling, I forgot. Robyn, was it?”
Rose looked at Gabe and sighed. “Rose. This must be Maureen, right?”
Javier sensed Rose wasn’t impressed, but it was hardly anything to get worked up about. He knew she had deliberately said Mara’s name wrong, but pulling her up about it now wouldn’t be the right time. Mara was still defensive about the two newcomers, rightly so, and Gabe had a gun by his right hand. They couldn’t afford to piss either of them off right now, and Javier squeezed Rose’s hand hard. Then he let go, and stepped forward.
“Mara, we’re sorry to intrude on you like this, but my Rose and I have had a long day. We came across this place by chance, and if it wasn’t for your good husband, we would most surely be dead.”
Javier could see Mara was beginning to let her guard down. He took a guess they were husband and wife. The way they looked at each other, the way they had embraced earlier, all suggested a familiarity borne of living with someone for years. It was not something Javier knew himself, but he had seen enough of it to recognise it when he saw it.
“My husband’s a good man,” said Mara. “If he trusts you to let you into our home, then I do too.”
Mara was a large woman, and Javier could see she and Gabe made a perfect couple. They had similar features, although thankfully Mara did not have Gabe’s pot belly. She had auburn hair, tied up in a bun, and wore a dirty apron, as if she had spent all day baking.
“Anyone else here?” asked Rose bluntly.
“No dear, it’s just us,” answered Mara.
There was a hesitation before she answered, just enough to let Javier know that she didn’t quite trust them fully, not yet.
“Our caretaker, Dave, was the only other one who made it here, apart from the Goldbitters. He taught me how everything works, how the solar panels work, where everything is stored, the whole she-bang. We got enough to see this through, thanks to him.”
“All right, Gabe, that’s enough,” said Mara. “I’m sure these two young folk have had enough of you chewing their ears off. Why don’t we go inside? Chicken’s about ready. We should eat.”
As they walked into the clubhouse, Javier noticed they had kept the place spotless. It looked as if it was ready to host a championship, as if the outside world was still normal, not full of zombies. He could smell the food cooking, and his doubts about Mara would keep. She had looked increasingly worried as Gabe was telling them how they had enough food to last, and how the caretaker had told them how to run the place. She was right to worry. If Gabe gave away all their secrets, then there would be no more need for them. Mara clearly wasn’t stupid, and Gabe might be a crack-shot, but Javier suspected his wife was the brains behind the operation.
Inside, Gabe showed them to a room where they could spend the night. It was an office in a previous life, converted into sleeping quarters. Some old blankets lay spread out in the middle of the room, and the desk had been pushed to one side, leaving plenty of room to lie down and stretch out. Tempting as it was to curl up and sleep right then and there, Javier’s growling stomach won out, and they went straight back down to the diner to eat. Rose said little as they ate, and Javier had to admit it was delicious. Somehow, Mara had come up with a Moroccan chicken dish, with some peas, carrots, and fluffy rice. The chicken was juicy and they ate it noisily, grateful to fill their bellies. As they ate, Gabe and Mara told them a little about their lives, but it was white noise to Javier. He was more interested in how they had survived for so long, how they managed to keep the food fresh, and produce power to cook.
After eating, Mara reclined to their bedroom, and Gabe showed them where it was, just i
n case they needed anything in the night. If they were up to it, he promised to show them around properly in the morning, to give them the layout of the grounds, and show them where everything was. If they were keen to stay, they could help with the running of the clubhouse, and Gabe smiled as he left them, content he had done his good deed for the day. After providing them with a bowl of hot water to wash – there wouldn’t be enough for a decent shower until winter - he reassured them that they were perfectly safe, and that they could sleep easy. With that done, Gabe retired too.
“I could’ve eaten a second plate,” said Rose as she undressed in the privacy of their room. She kept on her underwear, and then washed the blood and dust from her body.
Javier sat on a leather footstool, watching Rose wash. He had already washed up, and he was down to nothing but his modesty. There were no clean clothes to put on, so they decided they would wash them tomorrow, and spend the night without. As Rose finished, he crept under the blankets. Rose dried off and came over to him, slipping beneath the covers with him. They both lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. The night was dark. The office only had thin blinds, so the faint moonlight gave the room a milky-white glow.
“You want to fuck me?” asked Rose. She slid a hand over his leg cautiously.
As much as he wanted to, Javier was exhausted. His body still ached, and knew he was probably going to feel worse before he felt better. The crash had beaten him up badly, and his brain wanted more than his body was capable of.
“Want to, yes. Going to, no. Not tonight. I need to sleep. I need to think about things.”
Rose withdrew her hand. “But you’d fuck Cindy if she was here now?”
Javier closed his eyes. Just when he thought Rose was back on side, she threw him a curve-ball. “Rose, just go to sleep.”
“What about Mara? You want to fuck her too?”
“Can we not do this, Rose? Can you just, maybe, keep your mouth shut and stop talking shit for one minute?”
“Yes sir, sorry sir, I’ll be good. Wake me up when you want to fuck me, and then I’ll keep quiet again. Whatever you want sir. I’ll be a good little girl. You can fuck me in the mouth, in the ass, do whatever you want with me, then…”
Javier sat up and grabbed Rose. “I told you to be quiet,” he hissed. “You want to get us thrown out? You want to go back out there? What the hell’s got into you?”
Rose said nothing, and Javier was tempted to demand an apology. She would do what he said, but any apology would be hollow. He didn’t want a wet blanket for a girl, but he sure couldn’t put up with her in this mood either. “Well? You want to go back outside.”
“No. I want you. I want to stop...to stop…”
“To stop what?”
“I want to stop. Period. I’m sick of running all the time. I’m sick of everything. Let’s stay here, Javier. We can run this place. We can make it work, keep it safe. You saw it too. I know you did. We can take it from them. Together, we can do anything.”
Rose sat up, and Javier looked into her eyes. “I don’t know, Rose. It’s tempting, but I have to get to my brother. You know that’s the plan. Keep heading north.”
“I know, I know, keep heading north, but we’ve got something good here, Javier. Let’s stay, just for a couple of days. I know you’re banged up, and you can rest here. It’ll do us good.” Rose ran a hand over Javier’s chest tenderly. “At the very least we can have some fun for a while without having to look over our shoulder all the time. There’s so much here, we can check it out and stock up before heading to Thunder Bay.”
Javier doubted that Rose was in it for the long haul. She said the right things, made the right noises, told him she was with him forever; yet, when he mentioned Canada, she changed the subject, or mentioned staying somewhere along the way, as if she wanted to set up home. When she spoke now, he could tell she was lying. She didn’t want to go north. She didn’t want to go east, west, south or anywhere else. If she was looking to settle down and raise 2.4 kids, then she had got the wrong man. He thought Rose was a wild card, someone he could finally connect with, but the more that time passed, the more he thought she had other ideas. It might be that he would have to go it alone one day. The time would come when she would have to make a decision whose side she was on. Company was good, but he had been alone before, and he could do it again. His brother mattered more to him than anything, more than Rose did, though he would never admit that to her. He simply had to get to him. He had to find him. The idea that he might never see him again was unbearable. His mother had separated them when she’d left, taking only one of them with her, and he was not about to let another woman get in their way.
“Fine, we’ll stay and see, okay?” Javier lay Rose back down, and curled up around her. He draped one arm over her bare shoulder. “Just a few days, to check it out.”
“I love you,” whispered Rose.
“You’re my eagle,” said Javier.
Soon they fell asleep, and the clubhouse fell silent. With nothing to draw them in, with the place quiet and dark, the zombies outside the fence stayed away. It was almost sun up before the house woke, and a lone figure crept stealthily into the kitchen.
Rose couldn’t take the lies anymore. She had to make Javier see sense. The crash had made him weak, and she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. It was about time they made things go their way instead of waiting, or drifting. Heading north was a dumb idea, just plain dumb, and when she showed Javier the alternative, he would come round.
With a large butcher’s knife in each hand, Rose made her way from the kitchen to Gabe and Mara’s bedroom. It was just across the hall from where Javier was sleeping soundly. He would be proud of her when he got up. She was doing this for him, for them. Gabe would be first to go. She remembered the way he looked at her over dinner. She could feel his eyes running over her, undressing her, and it reminded her of the way her father used to look at her. Javier thought Gabe was reliable, but wasn’t he the only one with a gun? Gabe wasn’t about to share. Gabe and Mara weren’t just going to let Javier and Rose take what they wanted. No, they were going to have to take it by force, and if Javier couldn’t see that, Rose was just going to have to make him. The golf course could be theirs, should be theirs.
Rose pushed open the door. The room was dark, and just like theirs, it had an old wooden desk pushed up beside a wall. The blinds were drawn open, and Rose could clearly see Gabe and Mara sleeping in the middle of the room. Rose could hear them softly breathing.
“Too easy,” she whispered as she crept over to them, and knelt down beside Gabe. His gun was beneath his pillow, the butt just sticking out. Wise man, thought Rose. She could try to slip it out from under him, but he might wake and grab it first. It was too risky.
She raised both knives in the air, keeping one of them just inches from his neck, and the other above his chest.
“Stick, or twist?” Rose said, weighing up her options. She would need to be quick. Once she’d stuck Gabe, she would have to move swiftly over to Mara. She didn’t want to get drawn into a fight. It would be best to get it over with quickly.
Gabe rolled over, his ample belly pulling the blankets with him, exposing his pale skin.
Rose smiled. “Stick.”
“Stop!” yelled Javier.
He appeared in the doorway and Rose looked up in shock. What was he doing here? She looked down at Gabe, who was staring up at her, his eyes open wide in disbelief, unsure if he was still dreaming.
“My thoughts exactly, you bitch,” said Mara. She was brandishing a gun which had been hidden beneath her pillow, and was now pointing it straight at Rose.
“Mara, put that down,” said Javier. He stayed in the doorway, unsure whether to approach or not. He couldn’t get to Mara without her getting off at least one shot.
“Rose, you put that fucking knife down, now,” demanded Mara.
Rose looked at Javier. Her shock had quickly gone, and now she was angry; angry that Javier had
ruined her plan, angry that Mara had a gun pointed at her, and angry with herself for getting caught. She had forgotten Mara had a gun too. “Javier, help me. Take one of these knives and slit Mara’s throat.”
Mara pointed the gun at Javier. “Don’t you move, mister.”
“Rose, stop this. Come on over to me,” said Javier, his voice wavering. He knew Rose wouldn’t back down and he doubted Mara would either. There was a fierce determination about her, and her hands were steady as she held the gun.
Rose shook her head. “No. We have to do this, honey. This place is ours. We’re taking it. I’m taking it.”
Mara whirled her gun back to Rose, cocking the trigger as she did so. From less than four feet away there was no way she would miss. Javier could tell Rose wasn’t going to drop it. He felt weak at the knees, and his head was sore, but his senses were sharp, and he knew this was going to end badly. Nobody would back down, and he wasn’t about to let Rose take a bullet needlessly.
“Last chance,” said Mara.
Rose shook her head again. A tear ran down her face. “Fuck you. Gabe’s mine now.”
“No!” Javier heard the word ringing in his ears, but he didn’t know if he had said it, or Mara. Time was up. He ran into the room as Rose plunged a knife downward, and Mara fired.
Outside the clubhouse, if there had been anyone there, they would’ve heard plenty of screaming and shouting, and seen the blinds to the room suddenly splattered with fresh blood. There were muffled thuds as a fight broke out, and eventually, silence.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Jeez, that hurts,” said Mrs Danick rubbing her ankle.
“Fix it up as best you can,” said Erik, “we have to get moving.” The fields were filling with the dead. From all directions they came, trudging through the mud, stumbling through ditches, and blindly walking across roads ignoring any obstacles in their path.